Casa Italiana
How a ‘ youth revolution ’ is gearing London ’ s oldest Italian social club for the future
O n Sunday mornings , while the rest of London stirs , Clerkenwell Road is bustling with people . Most wander leisurely , arm in arm , until they disappear into the white arches of St Peter ’ s Italian Church . A few metres away , an older man sits in a wheelchair , watching it all happen from underneath a flat cap . To his right are the shutters of Terroni of Clerkenwell and , hanging above him , are five words plastered onto a green , white and red tricolour : Casa Italiana S . Vincenzo Pallotti .
Casa Italiana is London ’ s oldest Italian social club and a hub for the capital ’ s Italian community . Since opening in 1960 , it has maintained every aspect of its charm . Like stepping through the vortex of The Lion , the Witch and the Wardrobe , the doors swing open into the world of 1960s Italy . The wooden panelling gives way to ageing walls , decorated with black and white pictures and coats of arms from different Italian regions . People speak a mixture of dialect and standard Italian while sipping from espresso cups or slapping briscola cards onto the table , continuing Italian traditions in the heart of London .
Casa Italiana ’ s members are mostly Italians from the terza età , elderly pensioners who migrated from Italy decades ago . The social club is where they meet on Sunday mornings for a drink and a game of cards after going into the Italian church next door .
Some will come back on Tuesdays for the lunch club and , in the summer , Casa Italiana ’ s members join in the church ’ s annual procession in honour of Our Lady of Mount Carmel .
Massimo Pini , 56 , is on the committee of Casa Italiana . The social club has always been on Massimo ’ s radar : he was baptised , confirmed and married at the church next door . Now , he volunteers at Casa Italiana alongside his full-time job , setting up the social media and trying to raise the profile of the social club . “ I think I have assumed a kind of comms role because of my own background , [ given ] I work in digital ,” he explains . “ My role is as the bridge to the younger generation .”
Massimo did not start coming to Casa Italiana until the early 1980s but he describes how the club is now at a pivotal point in its history . “ A lot of Italians that used to come here have moved away . The importance of the club has changed over time because , now , Italians can get together through a WhatsApp group and just meet in any pub . The club can ’ t just carry on in its own way because times are changing .”
One of Casa Italiana ’ s longer-term members is Franca , who has been coming to the club since she was a teenager . Through the double doors , after the immediate hit from the rich smell of coffee , Franca is the first person anyone notices . Dressed in a fox fur coat , purple cowboy boots and a dress she
Source : Eve Massey
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